The Council of the Mononoke
by Emyraz.A.Lacea
Summary: 7 young women land in a world of mythical creatures and magic that is on the verge of war. With the King slaughtered, and his darling daughter hunted, the 7 set out on a quest to protect the princess - as she is the only thing that will stop the impending War. Shall We Date?: Mononoke Kiss. Most characters are OC's - I'll tell you if otherwise. R&R Thanks!
1. The Three of Staff, Serpent, & Bow

**READERS: Merry Christmas! This is for the people who have been waiting patiently ever since I first mentioned the random idea. I love you guys, and I hope you enjoy the first chapter... There is more to come!**

Trin:

What startled me most was the silence.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't scared or anything, I just remember that before my eyes opened, the silence pressed in against my ears like when you go down those 10 feet to the bottom of a pool.

And then there was me opening my eyes. When I finally did – after making sure no one would be there to murder me when I did – I was met with fire.

Or that's what I thought. My first glimpse of the world was a glass ceiling tinged orange from what I thought must have been fire.

_I'm dead. _I decided. _I'm dead and landed in Hade's Palace. _I frowned. That didn't make any sense. You'd think I'd remember my own death.

_I hope it was glorious! _The thought struck me as hilarious, though there was no reason it should have been. Laughter burst from my mouth and echoed off the walls of the chamber. The sound startled me as much as the silence, and my laughter abruptly cut off.

I didn't want to move. I wanted to get up and check out my surrounding, sure. My curiosity was KILLING me, but I didn't want to move.

_How inconvenient, _I thought, _ode to being human. _

I lay there for a few more seconds, my eyes open wide, but unseeing. I was trying to recall the last memory I had before waking up. It wouldn't surface. What was going on? I pushed my mind back further, looking for faces, houses, _anything. _But it was like my mind had gone stark cold and black.

I admit now I was a little – only the tinniest tiniest bit – nervous about the thought that all of my memories could be gone.

A throat cleared all of a sudden, and I jumped, my heart racing. My eyes focused, and I sat up so quickly my head spun.

"Choose." Some guy said. His voice echoed like my laughter did, and this time I jerked all the way to my feet. I swayed on the spot. I put a hand to my forehead, trying to stop the whirling.

"Choose." He said again. There was no emotion in his voice, only the word, as if he'd repeated it a million times. Irritation began to build at the edges of my mind as my vision focused, and my head cleared. _Who is he to tell me to do something? _I suppressed a low growl of annoyance. Choose what? My eyes roamed the room, glancing at the tables that formed a circle around me. _Oh. _I thought. _Choose one of those. _

I walked toward the first of the glass tables. Atop it sat a sword, its blade glittered like diamonds, and its hilt like ice. It was thin, like the ones you'd see in the stereotypical Japanese Martial Arts movies, not that I had seen any of those. Next to the sword sat a smaller blade, this one white like fresh fallen snow. _Except it's not snow, _I remember thinking, _'cause snow isn't so EVIL looking. _

"What's this one do?" I asked, still looking at the sword. I wanted to touch it, maybe hold it in my hand, but I was half afraid that the guy might arrest me for obstruction of private property of something.

"His name is _Shimo_." The man answered, his tone the same smoothness as before. "It means _The Frost _in your language, and is the weapon of the Ice Nymph Empress." He paused, and I still gazed at the clear blade, enchanted by its detail.

"Is it made of ice?" I enquired, lifting my hand to stroke it.

"Something similar." He said quickly. "Please don't touch it, not if you aren't going to choose that one."

"What do you mean 'something similar'? What's similar to ice?"

"A resource only to be found deep in the Yami Mountains. The Ice Nymphs harvest it only during the blue moon, and can only craft it during the next new moon, or else its magic fades. It's what your people would call a _Katana_, and its partner, the _Wakizashi_, the sister blade, crafted during the next full moon, and more agile than the _Katana_. Her name is _Tsurara_ or _Icicle _in your tongue. She was the only other blade harvested during that particular blue moon."

"What's so special about some metal collected during a full moon?" I asked haughtily, turning to the next table.

Golden serpentine arm bracelets sat coiled on a black velvet cushion, their scarlet ruby eyes seemed to glare at me as I walked up.

"Those are the _Jōshō-en _or the _Rising Flames_." He explained, not waiting for me to ask. _Hasty rapscallion! _"For the one who is worthy, they hold the heart of the Mountain Hametsu, and when needed, they possess the endowment of Fire."

"I kinda got that already, seeing as their name is the RISING FLAMES!" I muttered not-so-quietly under my breath. I heard and exhale of breath, and my mouth twitched at the corner. I moved on to the next tabletop, where a longbow stood mounted on a pedestal with a quiver of green arrows. A glint of silver rose from both ends, carefully crafted, I could see, so that it did not hinder its use in battle.

"And this one?" I asked, pointing at the bow. Leaves were carved into its wood, and the grip was made of worn brown leather.

"The Longbow is named _Seikatsu _or _Life _after the first Druid to wield her." I rolled my eyes and carried on, bored.

"How about this one?" I asked, sighing. I was facing a long weapon this time one that was halfway between a sword and a spear. Its spear-like handle thingy was wrapped in lavender, and on the blade was a metal ring with a blue tassel. _What the heck?_

"This is the Sillian Crescent Sword. The handle is made of silver, and the blade made of moonstone. This is the oldest of the weapons here. His name is _Shinseina Kibo _or, in yourlanguage, _Sacred Hope_."

I was already moving on as he finished, standing in front of an ax the size of my head. It was double bladed and wicked sharp. The guy sighed heavily, and didn't wait for me to ask what it was.

"This one is called _Ono, _and is one of the stranger weapons that are here in this room."

"What does it do?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't know if it would be a good idea to tell you …" His voice drifted off, and he didn't continue.

"If I'm supposed to choose, then you have to tell me what my options are!" I exclaimed, throwing up my hands.

"It wouldn't be the most prudent of ideas …" He answered. A long silence of a one-way staring contest ensued, and eventually I heard another sigh. _Geez! That guy should get an award!_

"Let's just say when someone is sliced in half with it, they'll feel as if they've been sawed in half, but they'll still be in one piece."

"SWEET!" I yelled, pumping my fist in the air. "I WANT THIS ONE!"

"Fortunately, that is not an option." He countered coolly.

"FORTUNATELY? What do you mean FORTUNATELY?" I shouted, spinning in a circle, unconsciously looking for the person the annoying voice belonged to. _If I so much as see him ….!_

"Orders from higher up just informed me that out of all the weapons here, _Ono _is the one that you are forbidden to wield." _Is it just my imagination, or is he a little bit smug about this?_

"WHY?!" I screamed dramatically, not really expecting an answer. "WHY DOES THE UNIVERSE HATE ME SO?" I fell to me knees and raised my hands in that stereotypical 'WHY' pose, secretly hoping he would feel guilty for me and let me 'choose' the cool ax.

There was no response. Sullenly, I stood up and glared at the ceiling, maybe scaring him… nope.

I sighed dejectedly, and walked the few steps to the next pedestal. What I was met with wasn't all that impressive. A mass of weapons lay on the cloth – a thin sword, a couple daggers, and a short blade that was thicker than the sword.

"I don't even want to know." I said glumly, not stopping to inspect the assortment. _Figures. The one that I actually want is the one I AM NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE! _

The last weapon intrigued me though. As I walked towards it, I felt something almost mournful wash over me, and shivers raked their fingers down my spine.

"What's _this_?" I asked, captivated. Of all of them, this one seemed to me the most powerful, the most fascinating, and the most suited to me. It was a staff of dark wood – _oak maybe? _And it had violet spirals dancing across its surface. On its top, inlaid in entwining shadows, was an orb that glowed slightly as I approached.

"This is _Shi no Kokoro _or _Death's Heart. _It was taken from the heart of the tree that once protected the domain of the Shadowed Queen."

"What does it _do_?" This time, I couldn't refrain from putting my hand on the smooth wood.

"… I wouldn't, if I were you!" The guy called out hastily. "Not unless you really _are _going to choose that one." I let out a huff. _Bossy much? _

"You're no fun." I mumbled, pretending to pout. I stuck out my lower lip and glanced up through my eyelashes, but I took my hand away anyway.

"You have to _choose _now." He prodded, ignoring my puppy eyes. "No more lollygagging." I sighed, which made him chuckle, and I stepped back, into the center of the room.

I glanced back at the _katana_, and it winked coldly at me in response. No. Not the sword. _I don't particularly like swords, _I thought to myself in an exaggerated British accent. My eyes then jumped to the glittering snakes. I shuddered, they were OUT, those things were C-R-E-E-P-Y!

Onto the Longbow. _I would hate to stand on the side while others were in the thick of things, risking their lives for me… 'Cause that's what these are for right, _I thought, _to fight?_ I looked at the weird spear-sword-thingy. _Nope. I've got no clue as to WHAT that thing is. _

I glanced longingly at the ax on the next pedestal, but didn't say anything – _stupid authority figures! _I didn't even glance at the assortment of random ninja junk that was next. _Which left …_

"The staff." I whispered. Then, louder, I looked up and called, "I choose the staff."

"Are you sure? Y-you can't change it once you choose the staff."

"I know." I said, of course I knew. "I chose the staff, so give me the bloody STAFF!"

"Ok. Ok. Geez! Don't get angry …" He paused. "Do you know the history of your staff?" But I don't remember answering, because at that moment I had taken the wooden staff in my hand, my blood screaming in my ears. The hair rose on the back of my neck and the hand gripping the dark wood began to tingle. The tingling spread up my arm to my shoulder, across my shoulder blades, down my back, … but never once did I feel it spread to my stomach or chest. _Strange. In the books, that's the first place it goes … _

"I see _Shi no Kokoro _has accepted you, and therefore its Kingdom will accept you. Good luck little _Mononoke, _you will need it before the end…"

And with that, the chamber faded before my eyes as I stood there, in its center, with a staff gripped in my hand.

Lily:

All around me was darkness. _Why is it so dark? _I wondered vaguely, struggling to pull my mind from the drowsiness that struggled to pull me back under.

_Idiot, _a voice inside my head that sounded suspiciously like my twin sister chided, _it's dark because your eyes are closed. _

_Oh! Right. I should probably remedy that. _I peeled back my eyelids and sat up. Naturally, my eyes scanned the room, and I saw, a little ways a way, seven pedestals covered in green silk.

I groaned and stood up, my body strangely sore, and slowly made my way towards the daises. Inspecting each of them carefully, I saw one of them – the farthest from where I stood – was empty. A sword lay on the one closest to me, another had a strange assortment of things – a thin short sword, two three-pronged daggers, and what looked like a thick knife, no longer than my wrist to elbow. A third pedestal held a staff and weird curved sword combo, and yet another held a large ax – one that I was sure if held against my chest, would be broader than my shoulders. That's not saying that I was very broad, I wasn't (still not), but the ax was just downright _HUGE_.

I turned, and I met the eyes of two golden serpents – _I wonder what those do? _And finally, I turned to the sixth, a beautiful bow almost as tall as I was lay on the jade fabric. It was an awesome-looking thing.

"Choose." A strange voice said. I assumed he meant one of the pedestals, but being the cautious person that I was, I had to ask anyway.

"You mean I can _have _one of these strange weapons? Like, any one that I want?"

"Yes." The voice sounded annoyed. I wondered why, but was afraid to ask.

"I want the bow." For me, there was no contest. I had always wanted to have a bow, ever since I was little, and here was my chance.

"Are you sure? You only have one chance to choose. You'll have to live with your choice." The voice paused. "Or not live …" The voice seemed to shrug. "You have to be absolutely sure."

"I'm sure." I answered, nodding slightly. "Plus, most of the others are too aggressive for my taste. I'd rather stay out of the heat of a battle. "But do you think the Longbow is a good choice? 'Cause the snakes look pretty cool too, I wonder what they do?" I shrugged and continued, "Eh, it's more of Raven's thing than mine."

"Raven? Who's that?" The voice sounded confused and maybe a little bit astonished – as if I did something that was REALLY wrong – like, there-was-supposed-to-be-a-100-percent-chance-that-couldn't-happen kind of wrong.

"She's my twin sister. She and I are best friends. We … that's weird, I can't remember anything else. But, anyway, why do I need a weapon?"

"I cannot tell you, for it is not my job, but I will say that the Bow is a fine choice. She was named _Seikatsu_, translated _Life_, and was given as a gift to the first Druid Elder as a peace offering between her people and the forest they would make their home. It has been passed down to each of the next Elders, and it is their job to protect the forest with the gifts of the weapon you have chosen." The voice was weirding me out a little bit, but I let it slide, 'cause whenever a mysterious voice started talking, you listen.

"Umm." I interrupted, raising my hand halfway in the air. "I'm pretty good with mythological creatures, but I've never heard of a druid. Are they like dryads? I like dryads, they're cool. Oh wait, are you not allowed to tell me? Can you only tell me about the Bow and not the people that are supposed to possess it? Is this a test?"

"Do you always speak this fast? Or ask this many questions?" The voice sounded exasperated.

"Sorry."

"Anyway, just say you choose the Bow, and it'll happen."

"Alright." I let out a big breath. "I choose the Longbow."

"Then take it in your hand, Elder." I did, and he continued. "It is now your right, and your duty to protect the Forest Igen for as long as the Bow is yours to wield. Put its life before your own, and one day, when all hope seems lost, it might repay you your efforts." I nodded in understanding, but my head began to feel fuzzy, and my vision began to spot. I blinked rapidly, but each time I did, black encroached further and further into my line of sight.

Raven:

_Ack, _I groaned. My nose was squished against my face, and I was beginning to have a difficult time breathing. I groaned again and flipped over. My head was killing me! It felt as if someone had used my skull _as a war drum and the battle did NOT go in the Emperor's favor._ I snorted at myself, and hauled myself to my feet. My head felt light, and I wobbled slightly for the first few seconds. I stood there, my head held carefully in my hands and trying not to groan again. _Where am I? What's happening? _I didn't want to think. What I REALLY wanted was to go to sleep again – but not on THAT floor!

"Choose." The voice was abrupt and slightly impatient, and it was only then that I finally opened my eyes. _How on this good earth did I get here? _I wondered mildly as I strode towards the center of the room.

In front of me were seven stands of what looked like marble, and on each one sat a square of scarlet cloth. Glass stands on top of the scarlet held glittering weapons, though two were empty of everything save the cloth.

"Why?" I asked allowed. "Why should I choose? Why should I give you the satisfaction of doing what you tell me to?" I crossed my arms and stared stone-faced at one of the walls in front of which sat a delicate pair of serpents, coiled into rings with their heads poised. Ruby eyes stared maliciously at me as I tried to look past them, but something kept pulling my gaze back …

"Because you were chosen. Therefore, you must choose!" The voice forced out, obviously frustrated.

"The circle of choosing." I agreed nodding, and then scowled. "That makes PERFECT sense! It's a roundabout thing and an answer without answering! How long did it take you to come up with THAT one?"

"Aren't you something?" He countered easily. "If you don't choose, I'll choose for you, and I can tell you right now, you're not going to like the choice I would make." His voice had turned hard, and I dropped my shoulders in exaggerated defeat. Pushing a large amount of air out of my nose, I rolled my eyes and clucked my tongue loudly.

"Hmm." I turned on one heel, examining – or pretending to – the assortment of treasures that stood on the pedestals. My eyes landed on a white sword – thin and delicate looking – and my breath left my lungs. It was beautiful and deadly all at once. I wanted it.

"The sword." I said, nodding at it. "I would like the sword." A silence answered me, and I frowned again.

"What?" I called, craning my neck to look at the ceiling. "What's wrong?" I heard a sigh, and my knee-jerk reaction was to raise a skeptical eyebrow. Not to deny myself, I felt my forehead muscles lift, resulting in a perfect arched eyebrow. I didn't get an answer, and so I snorted in response. _Typical._

"Oh I see." I said after a few minutes of deafening silence. And I did see. They wanted me to choose. But they also wanted me to choose the one THEY wanted me to choose. "It isn't really choosing if you have already made the decision for me." Another sigh. I rolled my eyes again.

"You could do so much more than the sword." The voice finally said. "It would be very limiting. Yes, there is power there, but you are meant for something greater – something you cannot accomplish with the _katana_."

"So, what you're saying is," I interrupted, holding my hands out in front of me, fingers splayed, "that you want me to be _better_ and the cool sword isn't going to help me? Are you saying that a _weapon_ is going to be the difference between my greatness, or my failure?" I chuckled, and crossed my arms again.

"Do you want me to choose for you?" The voice asked, finally done with my antics, apparently.

"No." I put up hands in a restraining gesture. "No, don't be hasty." I turned, assessing for the second time. My eyes landed on the coiled snakes. Their eyes gleamed, as if they had a secret to share; it kind of gave me the creeps. I tried to pull my eyes away and onto the next dais, but the rubies held me down and kept me frozen – one foot on the step of the platform. My hand reached out of its own accord, and I had to physically wrench it away, stumbling back.

_Obviously they want me to choose them. _And right then, I decided. I don't really know what made me do it, but if I did know, it would have saved me a lot of trouble. I mean _A LOT_ of trouble.

"The serpents." I called, my voice steady and sure though I was shaking inside. "I choose the serpents." I slipped them up my arms, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and they settled perfectly over my upper arms.

"They are called the _Jōshō-en_ or ..."

"The _Rising Flames_." I whispered, barely listening. "They give the power of fire to any who is deserving, else if you slip them on you will burn hotter than the sun and disintegrate." My voice was monotone, as if I were repeating some snippet of information pounded into my brain.

"… and you have obviously been deemed worthy of the _Flames_." He agreed. "But likewise, you can be deemed unworthy, and burned. It is a fine balance." A pause. Then, "you are destined for great things, _Kazan no Musume._"

I remember vaguely wondering what that meant before darkness swooped in like an eagle, and the rest of what he might've said was lost.

**A/N: The following characters are NOT mine: Hajime, Enojo, Razio, Hikobane, Ryuzaburo, Jinosuke, Yuki, and Sakura. I will mention if there are any others that come up further along in the story. Thanks!**


	2. The Others of Axe, Dagger, Sword & Spear

**READERS: Okay, before you get into the story, I really have to that LilyGold23 for the amazing support and for writing the rough drafts of a couple of the girls while I hammered out the others. It was really slow going, and I probably couldn't have done this chapter without her. THANKS!**

Willa:

I awoke with a start, but kept my eyes calmly shut. I didn't hear any footsteps, nor any arguments in a foreign language. _So … I don't seem to be a hostage. _I inwardly frowned. What was going on? My hands were not bound, nor my feet, and my mouth was not gagged. I slowly began to clench and unclench each of my muscles, making sure there was no aching, soreness, paralysis, or possibly forming bruises. When none of the previously mentioned ailments presented themselves, I slowly began to open my eyes, preparing to squeeze them shut again if I needed to.

I was met with dune-colored walls, and a high vaulted ceiling. There were no windows or light fixtures that I could see, and yet the room was well-lit and open. I rose to a crouch, my left foot resting straight out in front of me in case I had to make a quick run for it – though I didn't know where I would go, there were no doors. _Then how did I get here? _My face scrunched up in confusion as my eyes roamed the rest of the room. _Nope, no doors, but … what are those? _ My eyes had landed on low tables of light wood that were each covered in a beige cloth. Three were empty, but the other four seemed to hold displays of some sort. _What the heck is this? _

"Choose." It was a male voice – a somewhat cold and formal male voice at that.

"One of the tables?" I asked, hoping for clarification. When I didn't get an answer, I shrugged and pushed myself up to a standing position. I was honestly not too comfortable conceding to a voice that seemed to come from thin air, but there were really no other options, and I was truly curious.

Looking over both shoulders, I cautiously stepped up behind one of the tables, refusing to stride into the center of the circle – _it's what he wants. _ The tabletop held a random assortment of ninja tools – two _Sai_, a _Jutte_, and a _Ninja-To_ if I wasn't mistaken. The _Ninja-To _was enclosed in a simple sheath of peach, as was the _Jutte_, though the _Sai _lay bare against the brown cloth. I rolled my shoulders and moved on – close quartered combat wasn't my thing.

Across the circle stood a _katana_, and even from across the room I could tell it was well crafted and well balanced. Next to it sat a _wakizashi _of equal quality, and I found myself nodding slightly. All trained in the art of the _katana _were smart enough to know never go anywhere without a _wakizashi_.

"Choose." The man said again, and I huffed out a breath without thinking.

"I'm getting there." I answered forcefully. _Not smart to be rude, Willa._ I told myself. _He can just elongate your stay in this lovely windowless, door-less, prison. _I didn't say anything more though. Instead, I turned to see a double-bladed ax on the next table. It was recently polished, and its edges freshly sharpened. All in all it was a beautiful work of art.

The final stand held a strange weapon, one with its hilt wrapped in lavender leather – obviously dyed – that looked like a sword mounted on a spear pole. _Ah. A Korean Crescent Sword. _The blade was worked so that swirls danced naturally across the metal. It was stunning enough that I silently wondered if it really was created by humankind.

I looked up, trying to find a good place to converse with the man. I ended up just looking at one of the walls with my arms crossed for a few minutes without speaking. But finally I gave up and said:

"I know you told me to choose, but I would really appreciate it if you understood that I do not like to hurt innocents. If that is what this is all about, I suggest you find another mercenary. I will not comply."_ For that's the only reason I am here, right?_ I kept my arms crossed and widened my stance, hoping to look firm and unmovable in my choice.

"You won't be hurting innocents. You'll be protecting them." The man tried to assure me, but I frowned deeply in response. What he said must be untrue, _the only reason people would come to me for somethin_g _like this is to be a mercenary, and I won't stand for people who cannot protect themselves to be slaughtered! _

"You lie." I responded simply, coldly. "No matter how many times you tell me to choose, I will not. Not if innocent people are in danger!"

"You won't be hurting innocents, I already told you that!" He answered angrily.

"But you are making me take a weapon for some reason, are you not? I don't want to hurt people!"

"FINE!" He exploded, which surprised me the slightest bit. "JUST TAKE THE AX THEN! YOU WON'T ACTUALLY BE HURTING PEOPLE WITH IT!"

"The ax?" I looked at it, and slowly began walking towards it, curious. "What does the ax have to do with anything?"

The voice sighed, defeated. "The ax causes immense pain without actually killing. So even if you don't believe me about what you would be doing, take the ax and you cannot kill even if you wanted to. Not with that thing at least."

_Pain without actually killing, there's a thought_. _Did such a thing really exist?_ I wanted to ask but was slightly unnerved by the thought that the voice might blow up at me again. I looked at the ax again. Could I really take the ax and not hurt a soul? None at all?

"Have you made your choice?" the voice was really starting to get on my nerves although I didn't let that show.

"What do I call it?" I wondered aloud, picking up the heavy weapon and weighing it in my hands.

"_Ono. _It's _ax _in its language of origin. _Ono _is a simple weapon and he wants nothing more than to save innocent lives, just as you do. Will you choose him?"

"Alright, if I must, I choose the ax. You better not have been lying about what it does." As soon as I uttered the phrase, the room exploded into pitch darkness, and I lost consciousness.

Rose:

_Why is it so dark? _That was my first thought. My second thought was – _it smells funny in here, what'd they do? Dump a gallon of old-lady-flower scent from the ceiling? _This was followed closely by: _Where on earth am I? _

It was at that point I decided it might be best if I opened my eyes. And as soon as I did, sunlight streamed into my vision, making me blink rapidly and sit up. I had lain on a light colored wooden floor, and had been staring at the previously questioned ceiling – which was made completely out of glass. Finally done blinking my eyes, my vision wandered about the room. I watched as lavender walls rose up out my foggy sight, as well as a circle of pedestals.

I stood up, curious, and began to walk over towards the pedestals. Each was covered with a light purple felt that matched the color of the room. _Felt, _I thought, _now that's an odd material to make tablecloths out of … Ah well._

I counted them … 7. Four were empty, and this made me shake my head and squint my eyes in slight confusion. _Why would they leave four empty pedestals in the middle of a room for no apparent reason? _The other three showcased … _weapons? What is the world would I need a thing like those for? _ _Especially ones that belong more in a place like Ancient Korea than in the modern world. _

One said pedestal held an assortment of what seemed could be ninja weapons – _but ninjas were Japanese, not Korean …_ –and atop a second was a thin samurai-looking sword-thing. Lastly was a most definitely Korean weapon – a Crescent Sword – one I recognized, though I couldn't remember why.

"Choose." A voice intoned, and it sounded like it had come from the ceiling. _No, _I thought, _it seems to be coming from all around, like there are a bunch of invisible speakers projecting the voice. _

"Choose what? A weapon? 'Cause I don't really need one of those right now. I don't really plan on serving in an army at time soon – or really at any point in time at all. So," I paused, "thanks, but no thanks."

"Choose." The voice said again, and I wondered if it – he? – could actually hear me or if it was just a recording or something. _Hmm…. Well, if I have to choose one of these, the ninja looking stuff is out. I don't know that those things are even supposed to do … _I looked back at the pedestals. That left the two swords. One was a more normal-looking-everyday-martial-arts-kind-of-sword, and the other was curved slightly. _Which one should I choose? Hmm … I choose … I guess …_

Carefully I stepped up to the podium holding the glittering crescent blade. As I got closer, I saw that the actual blade part was made of a material that was not metal – it didn't have the silvery sheen of metal. Instead, it glittered like mother of pearl. Rainbows caught in the sunlight – so bright it made me blink furiously until a cloud covered the sunlight again. I brushed my fingertips along its leather-wrapped handle, and as soon as my skin made contact with the actual blade, voices began to whisper in a language I was unfamiliar with.

"What's with the whispering?" I wondered aloud. _Are they friends with this other guy?_

"It seems," intoned the original voice gravely, "that _Shiseina Kino _has chosen you."

"Wha …?" My mouth was agape in confusion for a few seconds before I could form the question I wanted to ask. "I thought that I had to choose … What's with the rule changing? Don't you think that's kind of unfair?"

"There hasn't been a wielder of _Sacred Hope _since the _Battle Eien_ when it was lost." The voice rambled on, seemingly oblivious to my statement. "We had thought that there would never be one who could revive the ancient Language of Magic. The legends say it is made of Moonstone – the only blade of its kind. You must be very gifted for a weapon of this magnitude to have chosen you."

I picked up the sword, balancing it gently in my hands. As I did, it began to hum and a scent of lavender rose to my nostrils. A smile spread across my face, and I pirouetted slightly, the moonstone weapon still clasped in my hands. A giggle rose in my throat and out my mouth, echoing throughout the chamber. But then the laugh seemed to take an actual form, as waves of black had begun to appear before my eyes. _That's strange … _was the last thing I remember thinking before everything was enveloped in the blackness.

Sabrina:

You know that feeling you sometimes get when you first wake up and you don't know where you are? That's what I felt when I woke up on a cement floor. But that time, my senses didn't return, and after several minutes, I still couldn't figure out where I was or how I had gotten there.

I cracked my eyes open into tiny slits, waiting to open them further until they adjusted to the light. The room was of a medium size, and the walls and ceiling were painted peach with pretty aquamarine swirls scattered across them. There were no windows, but lamps were lit all around, giving the room a homey feel. Nothing looked out of the ordinary – except for the no window thing, I mean who does that? – until I saw a circle of seven mats on the floor. Only two seemed to be occupied by something.

Curious, I rose to my feet and crept over, hoping that nothing would jump out and eat me. On the first was an assortment what looked like random weapons that could be easily hidden in sleeves, and under shirts, and in boots, and the like. There was a longish sword, two three-pronged daggers, and a shorter broader sword – _maybe it's a knife …? _On the second was a wicked-looking long sword as clear as new diamonds.

"Choose." Boomed a male-sounding voice, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. It had come from somewhere out of my field of vision, and I was too terrified to really check and see if a random door had appeared on one of the walls. I supposed he meant one of the weapon mats, and my eyes focused back on those.

Without turning around, I spoke up hesitantly – "sure thing Luv, which one?"

"What do mean 'which one'? You have to choose." The voice sounded kinda annoyed, but I still didn't turn around to check.

"Well then, which one would be better?" Both choices looked really cool. _What if I choose wrong? _

"You must decide that for yourself. Hurry up." The voice obviously didn't know me very well. I chewed on my bottom lip absentmindedly.

"I will choose, don't you worry. But first, could you tell me a little bit about both? It would make the choice easier."

"The assortment of weapons on your right are the weapons of the Lynx – an ancient race of people that silently protect our Empire's citizens. The longest blade is called the _Ninja-To _– it is the primary weapon of the Race, and the most valued in their line of work. Its particular name is _Karuma_ or _Karma_ in common tongue. The two daggers are called _Sai _and this particular pair are named _the Silent Ones _or _Sairento Mono. _These blades are particularly good at parrying larger weapons. The last is called a _Jutte _and it is its job to protect you against weapons like the one on the opposite side of the room. If you use this weapon correctly, you could break a sword of that magnitude. This one is named _Rakku _or _Luck._" I hear him take in a deep breath, and I turn to the bigger sword and see that there is a second, smaller blade sheathed next to it.

"What are these two?" I asked pointing.

"Those are the blades crafted by the Ice Nymphs of the Yami Mountains. The longer one is a _katana_, and named _Shimo_ or _the Frost._ The smaller is a _wakizashi _and named_ Tsurara_ or _Icicle_. They conduct and focus the gifts of the Ice Nymphs for their powers are rowdy and hard to control." He sighed heavily. "Now will you choose?"

_How am I going to make such an important decision? What if I choose the bigger sword and it turned out that I am a horrible Ice Nymph or whatever? _I obviously still didn't know which one to choose. While the descriptions were meant to help me it felt as if they had made the decision all the harder.

"The sword. No, the other stuff... No. Oh I don't know! I could really use your input, wherever you are." I turned around to see that there was no one there. Weird. "What's your suggestion?"

A large sigh resounded across the room. "Shut your eyes, I will choose for you."

I smiled up at the ceiling – hoping that the guy could see me. "Thank you Luv." I then shut my eyes tight and held my breath, waiting.

I felt a shove and almost tripped over the mat holding the assortment of random-looking weapons. My eyes flew open and my arms pin-wheeled.

"Well, I guess I'm getting those." I mused, stooping to pick them up.

"Finally." The voice gasped, and everything went black.

Lara:

When I woke up, I was lying curled up on my side on a cold floor, and I remembered feeling déjà vu without knowing why. It was the creepiest sensation. I really didn't want to open my eyes – not if there was a slight possibility that this particular déjà vu would become real life. _Who am I kidding? I just don't want to open my eyes. _I told myself firmly, but I still cowered slightly at the thought of opening my eyes to a scene I didn't want to repeat. Except that my mind wouldn't let me recall the memory. It was if my body and senses were scared of something my mind was clued in for. No, that's exactly what it was – no 'ifs' about it.

So when I opened my eyes, my muscles were tense and ready to spring into action – though I had no idea what I would do or where I would go. The room was white – so much so that it was blinding, and I shut my eyes tight for a few more minutes.

While my eyes were closed, I listened. I listened to absolutely nothing. No air conditioning, no breathing. No nothing. I couldn't decide if this was creepier than the no memory-ness. Inwardly shaking myself, I cracked my eyes open again, still squinting against the brightness of the paint. _What the heck is it with people and bright paint? Couldn't they have picked a cream – not a frost white? _Grumbling to myself, I opened my eyes all the way.

I have to admit, it was a pretty room. Once I got passed the blinding paint, I saw that an ornate crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. On closer inspection, it almost looked as if frost coated its surface, though from that far away I couldn't really be sure.

"Choose." Drawled a bored voice. I whipped around, searching for the source. When I saw no one, I huffed out a breath in frustration.

"Choose what?" I asked – with no small amount of attitude. My eyes landed on a circle of glass cases, of which were empty except for the far one. Slowly, I walked over to the case and saw that it held a thin sword. Next to it was a shorter blade of equal thinness. I stepped closer. The hilt of the longer sword – a _katana_ I realized – was of cloudy looking glass and it was wrapped in ice-blue cloth for easier holding. I picked it up, and removed the sword part-way from its sheath. The blade was made of a material like ice, and I could clearly see the floor underneath me. It was elegant and dangerous at the same time.

"Choose." The voice came again, and I decided it sounded male.

"CHOOSE WHAT?" I shouted at him. I hated repeating myself. I looked again at the second smaller sword. I didn't know what that one was.

I looked around at the six empty cases. _If I have to pick out of one of the cases, then why is he asking me to choose? There's only one to choose FROM. _

"I CAN'T CHOOSE, GENIUS! THERE'S ONLY ONE CASE THAT IS OCCUPIED! ANS WHY WOULD I WANT TO TAKE IT ANYWAY? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE ME?" I don't really know what made me snap, but this guy was annoying. It seemed that the only thing he said was 'Choose', and it was beginning to drive me insane.

"Just pick it up then and say you choose the _katana_! It's really not that hard!" The guy sounded just as annoyed as I felt, and I huffed at him. He didn't seem to hear me, because he continued. "Are ALL of you this high maintenance? I mean, seriously, you'd think of one of you would have good manners. But NO! You all have to be demanding brats!" _Cheese and Crackers this guy is mad … what on earth did I do? Well, you kinda blew up at him for no apparent reason … _I answered myself quietly, and I shrugged. W_hatever. The _katana _it is. _

"I guess I choose the _katana._" I said, shrugging. I picked it up, and the blade began to glow in my hand. _That's strange … _I picked up the smaller blade as well, and the glowing increased until it was nearly as bad as when I first opened my eyes.

"The _katana _is named _Shimo_ or _the Frost_, and he is the main weapon of the Ice Nymph Empress. The shorter is his sister, _Tsurara _or _Icicle _and it is a _wakizashi _– a mandatory weapon when fighting with a _katana_. You should never go anywhere without her." He paused. "Well, you should really not go anywhere without _Frost _either, but …" He trailed off, but I didn't really notice. The blades were still glowing. It was so bright that I began to see black spots.

"Umm … hello? What's going on …?" And then the world faded around me – from brilliant white to wicked black in a mere couple of seconds. I lost consciousness.


	3. Impatience & Electric Blue Hair

Raven:

I woke up standing, but it took me a couple of seconds to realize this. And so I ended up falling flat on my back. The wind left my lungs and I stayed there for a few minutes, gasping like a fish out of water.

"Here." I heard a terse female voice say above me. A dark eyed girl held out her hand to me. I took it gratefully and surged to my feet. As soon as she helped me up, the brunette retreated to a wall and leaned against it.

"And you are …?" I prodded, crossing my arms.

"Willa." She answered shortly as she rested against the wall. _What's her problem? _

"I'm Raven." I offered, only to get a curt nod in response. I rolled my eyes in defeat and began to look for a door. Finding one, I started to step over the stirring bodies that I just saw were there. Through careful maneuvering, I managed to make my way to the door and slide it open.

I was met with a silent hallway that stretched – seemingly endless – in both directions. There were no other doors that I could see, and I didn't particularly feel adventurous enough to find out.

Slightly disappointed, I turned away from the door and slid it closed. The other forms strewn about the floor began to groan and move. Only one other than Willa and I had been standing when she came to. And to my 'slight' annoyance, this girl didn't tumble to the floor as her eyes fluttered open. _Who rained on her parade? _I wondered vaguely as I watched her mouth turn down into a dark scowl.

Rolling my eyes again, I scanned the rest of the room. I didn't know _exactly _what I was looking for …

"Lily!" I exclaimed suddenly as my eyes landed on my twin sister. My heart pounding, I watched her slowly push herself up onto her elbows, and she let out a groan. Her eyes opened and met my own, and her face scrunched up in confusion.

"…Raven?" Her voice sounded confused. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me." I answered slowly. "Who else would it be?"

"You look different." Lily's eyebrows furrowed. "REALLY different."

"How so?" I wondered, looking down at myself. My clothes were my normal tight jeans, knee-high black boots, and graphic tee under a comfy sweatshirt. Most people turned up their noses at my fashion sense … but it was normal nonetheless.

"Your _hair_!" She sounded awed. "It's _RED_!"

Startled, I ripped the hairtie holding my hair in its bun out, letting my hair fall in tangled curls around my face. Eyes widening, I held up a lock of dark Rosso corsa – red, just like Lily had said. It was a far cry from what were my normal caramel-colored curls. _What the heck? _ It wasn't even a normal shade of dark red – like auburn – that you might see every once in a while. No, this was almost a red-fire-engine-that-little-boys-play-with type red.

My eyes flicked around the room, searching for more weird features. 6 other girls – including Lily – were strewn about the room in various positions and various states of consciousness.

But they all looked normal. Hair ranged from blonde to brown to black. Skin looked of natural shades too. _So why just me? _

I frowned and unconsciously leaned against the door. I shoved my curls behind my ears in frustration as I watched the others. Something was missing. Something was wrong.

"Ack. My head. It's pounding." Came a voice from the floor. "Wait. Why are the walls spinning?" The source of the voice, I saw, was a pale woozy-looking girl with jet black hair and cute bangs. Her eyes were squinched tight, and she was clutching her stomach.

"Are you all right?" Lily asked worriedly, crawling over limbs to get to the girl. Lily rested a hand on the other's arm, and she squeezed it tightly. A flare of heat seared through my stomach, making me slightly nauseous. But as quickly as it had come, the feeling fizzled away into nothingness.

"I-I'm fine." The black-haired girl answered quietly as she finally cracked her eyelids open.

I gasped as vibrant sapphire irises met my own. They glinted like the gem – so blue I could see flecks of red in their innermost hues. Their depths were deeper even than those of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. _Definitely not normal. _I thought, nodding my head. _So I'm not the only one. _

"Rey," Lily called to me hesitantly, "you're eyes are strange too. They're," she swallowed, "they're gold." I scrunched up my face in confusion. _Was gold even physically possible? _

"But you look exactly the same …" I answered Lily, confused. "Your hair, your eyes – it's all the same." I looked around the room again – no other wacky hair colors … _maybe there are more inhuman eye colors? _What was going on?

"What's your name?" Lily asked the girl with the beautiful eyes.

"Rose." The girl – now determined to be Rose – answered quietly, rising to her knees and slowly beginning to stand. Lily rose with her and gave the other girl a supportive shoulder. Huffing quietly, I kept scanning the room, watching more of us come to.

In a cross-legged position in the far corner of the room was a shorter, curvy girl with long blonde hair. She had woken with a violent start and was then trying to catch her breath as her head rested against the wall behind her. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Curious, I watched as Willa carefully maneuvered over to help her to her feet. Without saying a word, Willa then proceeded to carefully make her way back to her position against the wall.

At the feet of the previously pouting girl was another blonde – though this one was more of a caramel colored with a strange white streak on the underside of her hair. Her eyes were a clear green that were watching the room openly behind simple glasses. She had awoken on her knees with her hands splayed against the ground in front of her.

_7 girls. _I thought. _All of us different. What is the pattern? Why us?_

Suddenly, the sliding door behind me opened and I tumbled backward, caught off guard. But before I could hit the floor, two arms snatched me out of the air and pulled me securely to their chest.

"Wha..?" I managed to mutter before lifting my head to look at the face of the owner of the arms.

All I could see for a moment was a shock of electric blue hair that stuck up in every direction. It was messy and falling to the person's ears, and I remember thinking to myself – _now THAT is certainly not normal. _Next were the eyes. When they met my own, shivers raced down my spine. They were blood red and glinting.

A blush the color of tomatoes hit my face like a train and I ducked my head to hide it. My skin has always either been pale – almost alabaster – or the color of an angry lobster. I buried my head in the chest of the arms that saved me from a particularly embarrassing fall and hoped that my newly red hair hid the fact that my ears were the color of the lobsters as well.

"What do we have here?" Asked a voice from above me, laughter coloring its words. I felt the blush deepen, and I didn't answer. The arms slowly released me and gently helped me settle my feet on the ground. When I was stable the hands went away, but I kept my head bowed and the veil of hair in place. It would be a long time before the red faded from my cheeks.

"Well?" Demanded the same voice as before, and I took back a step, looking at the floor.

"I'm sure she'd have answered if she wanted an oaf like you to know her name, Enojo." Came another voice, off to my left. It was followed by a snort from the first voice.

"Come on." It pleaded. "Just a name?" I finally looked up into the creepy red eyes of the man who had caught me. Glaring at him, I straightened my posture and crossed my arms. _A name? Is that what he wants? Well, I'll give him a name all right … _

As I opened my mouth to say something though, I felt a soft hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Lily looking at me in mild warning. She shook her head slightly, and I rolled my eyes.

A clearing of a throat broke our gaze, and Lily, the blue-haired man, and I all turned to look at the second man that had arrived. His hair was black and his eyes a steel gray that could cut through most any material.

"The Council is ready for you all." He said, raising his voice and addressing the room full of girls as well. _Council? What council? _

"What council?" Lily piped up, stepping forward. The man looked down at her.

"The Council." He answered.

"What does that mean?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"You'll see." He said kindly, turning away down the hall. The electric blue head followed him, and I looked at Lily, waiting for her to shake her head and tell me it was a bad idea. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders and walked briskly after the two retreating figures. Sighing, I looked back at the other five who were slowly making their way to the door and looked as if they meant to follow the two random guys too. _Ah well. _

I spun on my heel, and took off after Lily, slowing down when I reached her side.

_Here goes nothing._

**READERS: Thank you for being so patient. I promised this to many of you a month ago. I've just been so busy... Plus I had a HUGE case of Writer's Block. But it is all better now! I hope to have chapter 4 up in no time! Bye lovies! :)**


	4. Sighs and Big Blue Eyes

Trin:

I was not expecting a room full of weirdly humanoid creatures to give me the stink eye as soon as I walked into the giant chamber. I suppose I wasn't expecting a standing ovation either but still …! They were all sitting around a table like the Knights of the Round Table or something, and it looked to me as if we had interrupted some very important decision-making or something. I frowned as the group of us girls crowded together like lemmings. _If they said they were ready for us, then why are they so angry-looking?_ I wondered, staring at all the stony faces in front of me.

"Here they are." The guy with the grey eyes said, stating the obvious. I saw the girl with the mop of irritatingly bright red hair roll her eyes so hard that I almost felt the earth speed up its orbit for half a second. _At least someone else seems to feel that this is petty and useless. Why are we even here?_

"These are the girls?" Asked an important-looking man sitting at the farthest point away from the door. _Obviously. _I answered silently, crossing my arms.

"Are you going to introduce them, Hikobane?" The other guy who had led us here prodded. I had to admit, his hair was the tiniest bit cool and a larger bit blinding. I mean, what other way would you describe that kind of blue?

The one apparently called Hikobane – _what kind of name is that _– cleared his throat and stepped up in front of us and addressed the table-full of weirdoes.

"I think," he answered, clearing his throat again, "that Kai would be better at introductions. He was the one supervising the Choosing, was he not?" A few affirmatives could be heard around the table, and I watched a dark skinned and dark haired boy rise from sitting next to the important-looking man and strode over to where we were clustered. As he stopped in front of us, I heard an oh-so-familiar sigh, and my eyes widened. It was the 'Choose' bloke who denied me the beautiful Ax!

"O-o-oh," I chuckled under my breath, "you're _so _gonna get it."

"Well," he started awkwardly, spreading his hands, "who do you want to see first?"

The important-looking man – have I mentioned that he was the only one that looked slightly normal, except for a simple kimono-thing that is – he gave _Kai _a steady look that was halfway between a glare and an affectionate father looking sternly at his son.

"Right." Kai said, nodding and turning to the group of us. His eyes landed on something past my shoulder and I turned to look. A short girl with wavy ebony hair and deep blue eyes stood carefully behind me. Her eyes were wide and innocent-looking. I say carefully, because it seemed as if she could have suddenly jumped into movement at any second, so she stood carefully controlled to make sure that didn't happen. She nodded at what I assumed was Kai, and stepped up toward me. Letting her pass, I turned around again to face the rest of the room.

"This," Kai announced in a surprisingly booming voice, "Is your new Priestess. Her name is Rose, and she was chosen to wield _Shinseina Kibo. _Please welcome the Priestess of the Majikku." There was clapping from around the entire room. _OOH. _There _is the ovation I was waiting for. _Nodding to Rose, Kai gestured her towards one of the only two open seats at the table. As she sat slowly, Kai put a gentle hand on a different girl, bringing her forward in front of the now intrigued occupants of the Table.

This girl was shorter than the first, with dark blonde hair that fell to her waist. She was curvy, and as she walked forward I saw – with no small amount of amusement – that she strutted. _There's nothing wrong with confidence. _I told myself. _She has to make up for her height somehow. Though, I doubt she'd like it if I told her how she walked… _

"This is Lara, and she chose _Shimo _and the Race that he protects. Lara has chosen to protect the Ice Nymphs, and may he help her in her quest." With a look of genuine confusion on her face, Lara was guided over to stand behind a man with white hair and a small frown etched into his face. When she approached he offered a smile no larger than his frown before settling his features back into their previous expression. His hair, I saw, was long enough that it was contained in pony-tail-form behind his head, which exposed his pointed ears.

Next up was a timid looking, caramel haired girl – taller than the last. She had glasses that hid her soft green eyes. I remembered, suddenly, that this was the girl that I almost tripped over trying to get to the door a few minutes ago.

This," Kai indicated the cringing figure, "is Sabrina. She chose the Lynx's path …"

He was interrupted by a loud _whoop _that echoed throughout the room. We all turned to see a blue head was thrown back and a fist thrown triumphantly in the air. He grinned at Sabrina, who cowered behind Kai in response.

"We get to be cousins now." He laughed joyfully. _Yay. _I cheered sarcastically. _A cousin! How exciting! _

"As I was saying," the dark skinned boy continued, glaring at the interrupter, "that Sabrina here chose the path the Lynx, and _Karuma _and her companions will help her along that journey when the time comes."

Sabina went and stood behind a quiet woman with dark brown hair and glowing yellow eyes. The woman looked uncomfortable to be sitting for so long, as her shoulders had a hunched look about them, and her hands never stopped moving.

_Well, this has been fun and all, _I imagined telling the Table, _but I really want to go do something productive. Or, at least, more interesting than listening to what animals we all get to be. I mean, what kind of idiot thought up this prank? Seriously, clever, but idiotic. Who would fall for something like this? _

"Kathrine." I heard, and I started, blinking away my slight daydream. _Great. Well, _I sighed inwardly, _let's get this over with. _

I stepped up next to Kai, socking him in the side before turning to look at the room again. He sighed at me, and I had an insanely hard time keeping a straight face.

"Serves you right." I muttered, turning to look at his shoulder so it would be unlikely that we'd be overheard. "You're the one that decided I couldn't have the cool looking Ax. And by the way," I added, punching him in the same spot, "it's _Trin_."

He cleared his throat and rubbed his side in exaggerated pain: "_Trin _here," he announced, putting emphasis on my name, "chose _Shi no Kokoro _and is the Heir Apparent for the throne of the Shadowed Queen." Kai turned to me with warning in his stunningly blue eyes. I wondered vaguely what type of creature he was. "You are in for a lot of hardship – every Queen who has wielded that staff has suffered under its yoke. But I think you will prevail." He winked at me and gestured at a severe looking woman near the far back of the room.

The world had gone muffled as I took slow steps over to who must have been the current Queen of the Shadows or whatever. Her hair was snow white, though as I approached, I couldn't see a single line of age or anything. Her face was smooth and pale; her eyes hard and dark like caves. They were so black, you couldn't see where her irises ended and her pupils started. It was creepy.

Just as I was about to stand behind her like the rest of the girls, she put up a delicate hand to stop me. Frowning, I stopped and let her examine me – because it was obvious that was exactly what she was doing. I put my hands on my hips, and waited, craning my neck to look at the three girls left. There was the annoyingly redheaded girl and another with light brown hair that clung to the first in a way that I wondered if they knew each other before this. The last was a brunette wearing army print and had her arms crossed and her stance wide, surveying the room constantly. It was giving me a headache watching her watch the rest of us. It was somewhat exhausting.

"Look at me." The Queen ordered coolly, drawing my eyes back to meet hers. With a sudden rush of rebellion, I closed my eyelids and turned my face to the side. _Who is she to tell me where to look? _A long, slow intake of breath could be heard from the wintery queen, and I opened my eyes to tiny slits, and peered out of their farthest corners - they burned from the strain.

The queen held a delicate hand to her face in what looked like the regal version of a face palm. Her mouth was set in a small line she looked royally disappointed in my lack of manners. _Pfft. Manners. What are those? _I turned away completely and returned to watching the three girls who hadn't moved from the front - but only because it gave me something to do.

"Willa," Kai regarded the brunette soldier (that was what I had decided to call her from then on), and she stepped forward purposefully, still scanning the room. _What's her deal? _"Has chosen _Ono _the Ax, and will protect the Races as the Sphinx. May the Ax be her guide and companion on the lonely road ahead." He nodded at her somberly, and she strode quickly towards a woman with curling brown hair and tanned skin. In the woman's hands was the huge ax that I had seen on the pedestal – the one that could cut through others without causing them physical injury. _Wait. _A thought suddenly struck me heavily in the face. _Why are we even here? Why make us choose weapons and shove us into the care of strangers that sit around a table and talk? Am I being delusional? Am I dreaming? Shouldn't I awaken by now? _

I must say that at that point I began to feel something akin to panic begin to rise in my chest. I wanted to know what was going on and why I wasn't safely back in my bed in London – where I had recently moved from the states for college – and why I wasn't getting up right then to eat leftover birthday cake and milk before hurrying over to classes. Why was I in a room full of people I had never seen before, and why was everything so _detailed? _

"Raven." Kai's voice broke through my panic, and my eyes focused on the redhead who seemed particularly bored at this point. Though, as I looked closer, I could have sworn to have seen a look of apprehension contort her features for a second before she composed herself again.

"She was chosen to be the rebirth of our fallen comrades. Let the Phoenix rise again from the ashes, and their greatness return!" Kai's voice was triumphant and a cheer went up throughout the chamber. I watched the members of the Round Table – their faces jubilant and confident. All except for one. He had sat near the back, across from the queen, and on his face was a look of intense shock and no small amount of pain. My eyebrows furrowed, but I was quickly distracted by the redhead – who I now knew was Raven – she had begun to walk towards the other empty chair that sat at the table. It was situated right in front of the queen, and as she walked toward it, I saw that her eyes had clouded over in a dazed expression. She gnawed at her lower lip in a nervous way as she sat down, looking at the remaining girl.

"And last, but most surely not least, is Lily – our new Druid Elder. She chose the longbow and with it will protect the forests and the borders of our kingdoms. Let our well wishes go with her as she strives – her and her people – to guard us from the outside." He nodded at Lily, and she went to sit with a man whose skin was tinted green, and his ears pointed. He stood as she approached and embraced her warmly. I watched as she hugged him back in a daughterly way and kind of sunk into him – hiding from the rest of the room.

A single clap resounded through the room – startling more than a few. We all turned to see the important-looking man from before had stood and was waiting patiently for undivided attention. When he had it – however begrudgingly on my part – he dismissed everyone for the night, and wished us all a happy evening.

The meeting immediately broke up and the participants began chatting lightly as they stood and stretched, preparing to head out the large doors. I finally turned back to the queen and met her steely glare. She rose elegantly from her chair, her eyes still locked with mine, and beckoned me with a flick of her fingers to follow her. With resigned sigh, I trailed after her out the doors and down the hallway.

She took so many turns that I lost track soon after we started. I was met with hallway after hallway of closed doors and I began to feel almost trapped in the seemingly-labyrinthical structure.

Finally, we came out into a spacious hall with the great stone doors shut tight. I paused to breathe in the open air before picking up the pace and walking beside my silent companion. She walked confidently towards another door – this one dark and gloomy looking. Turning, the queen met my eyes for a split second before touching the door lightly with one, pale fingertip.

A purple spark shot from her finger and into the stone, spiderwebbing across its entire surface before the door finally swung open silently.

"So no one can get in." Her Majesty explained. "You'll learn tomorrow before breakfast is served."

"I'll _learn_?" I asked incredulously. "As in, _**I **_am going to do some creepy parlor trick? And before breakfast? Are you serious?" Anyone who knew me well knew that I didn't do anything before I ate breakfast – it just wasn't a thing, like night during the day: it didn't happen.

"Yes before breakfast." The queen said heartlessly. "You must have _some _incentive if you are to be taught." She said this last statement with a hint of bitterness in her voice, but before I could call her out on it, an explosion shook the foundations of the building, and sent both the queen and I tumbling to the ground. Debris rained from the ceiling, and I was paralyzed for a second by the thought that the roof might cave. WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON!?

**READERS: Hey guys. Sorry for the semi-cliff-hanger ... not really actually. I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter is being written at this very moment. (Actually not 'cause I'm writing this but ...)**


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